Mom Enough: A Parenting Podcast

As parents, we often remind our children, “Use your words,” to help them express and manage their emotions. But that can be good advice for parents too! Writer Kate Hopper’s new book is an inspiring and informative manual to help you discover the power of words in your own life. As a psychologist who has studied parenting across the generations, Dr. Marti affirms Use Your Words as right on the mark as a way to be a more reflective parent who rises above harmful patterns of past generations. And as someone who has studied writing with this week’s guest, Erin speaks to the power of this approach in her own life as a busy mom of two young children. Listen carefully, and then get out your pen and paper!   Think of a recent time when you felt you were going to explode with the stress of your life as a parent. Or think of a time when you felt a great sense of love or joy or satisfaction as a mom or dad. Now use your words: write down what you saw, heard and smelled in that moment. Does the experience stir memories of other times in your life, including your own childhood? How does writing about these experiences (even if no one else reads what you write) help you understand yourself and your goals, dreams and concerns for yourself and your children? Leave a comment below!   For upcoming classes and retreats with Kate, click here. For Kate's Motherhood & Words blog, click here.

From the earliest years of life, our children are learning about alcohol and other mood-altering substances from what they see and hear among adults in their lives. At earlier ages than ever before, children encounter opportunities and temptations to experiment with alcohol, prescription drugs, illegal substances and dangerous new synthetics. In this week’s Mom Enough show, Kathleen Schultz, a youth addiction expert from internationally renowned Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation brings information you won’t want to miss about how to prevent substance abuse, how to recognize signs of possible abuse and how to respond if you have concerns that your child may be using.   What messages are you giving your children, whatever their ages, about the use of alcohol and other substances, both legal and illegal? Think about what you say, what you do, and what you allow your children to see in media or among people you know. What new or surprising information did you get from the Hazelden youth addiction expert in this Mom Enough show? What more could you do to increase the likelihood that your children will not abuse substances? Leave a comment below!

For 30 years early childhood educator Ron Gustafson has been engaging children in music, both in the classroom and from a stage as part of the popular Teddy Bear Band. Today he brings his knowledge and experience to Mom Enough in a unique discussion and demonstration of fun, simple ways you can use music to build your child’s language skills and emerging literacy. Guitar in hand, Ron plays snippets of familiar songs, then wraps up the show with a Teddy Bear Band recording of one of his original songs. Turn up the volume and invite your child to “Jump Around!” (By the way, Minnesota Governor Mark Dayton proclaimed June 28, 2015 Teddy Bear Band Day!)   What are some of the ways participating in music influences language, memory and literacy? How was music part of your childhood and how do you use music with your children? Do you remember the Teddy Bear Band from when you were a child? (A question for our younger parent listeners!) Leave a comment below!   For Teddy Bear Band concert information, click here. For the Sing, Play and Move CD, click here. For the article on purposeful play, click here.  

If you’re like many parents, getting your family members to the table for regular mealtimes isn’t always easy. But this week’s Mom Enough guest has spent much of her career studying why family dinner is so important, why it happens so seldom, and how parents can overcome barriers and make the most out of a family dinner. Dr. Anne Fishel is director of the Family and Couples Therapy Program at Massachusetts General Hospital, associate clinical professor of psychology at the Harvard Medical School and author of Home for Dinner: Mixing Food, Fun, and Conversation for a Happier Family and Healthier Kids. Her innovative ideas and inspiring family dinner tips had Marti & Erin so excited they say they will listen to this interview once a month to remind themselves of the many fun and powerful ways to transform mealtime rituals in their households!   What did you learn in this Mom Enough discussion about the benefits of a family dinner? What were your favorite tips from Dr. Anne Fishel, this week’s guest? What are the first family dinner tips you will try with your family? Leave a comment below!   For recipes, dinner games and conversation starters from The Family Dinner Project, click here.

Matthew Sanford was a strong, healthy young man when a devastating accident turned his world upside down. Paraplegic and suffering unimaginable loss, Matthew couldn’t have known what a rich and productive life lay before him. But 33 years later, Matthew is father of a 15-year-old son, a sought-after public speaker and teacher of yoga to people of all abilities. He is founder of the nonprofit Mind Body Solutions and acclaimed author of Waking: A Memoir of Trauma and Transcendence. In this Mom Enough show, listen to Matthew’s inspiring story and learn how you and your family can benefit from Matthew’s simple tips for mindful parenting and a mindful life.   What new ideas did you get from this mindful parenting Mom Enough discussion with yoga teacher Matthew Sanford? In what ways did his story change your perception of the possibilities of yoga for people with physical disabilities? And how might Matthew’s story help you overcome barriers in your own life to living fully and mindfully? Leave a comment below!   For Mind Body Solutions, click here. To learn more about Matthew, click here.

When we become parents for the first time, we are plunged into a myriad of new experiences, with all the emotion and uncertainty that accompany such a major life change. But have you ever imagined what it is like for the baby, leaving the cozy, protected environment of the womb and confronting all the new sights, sounds and smells of the outside world? Medical journalist and author Susan Brink has, and, in her new book, The Fourth Trimester, she delved deeply into a wealth of scientific evidence about what babies experience and what they need during those important first months. Whether you’re a new or prospective parent – or you know someone who is – you won’t want to miss this author’s interesting fourth trimester discussion with Marti and Erin in this week’s Mom Enough!   Why are the first three months of a baby’s life referred to as “the fourth trimester?” What new things did you learn in this show about a baby’s development in those early weeks and months? How is that information different from what many people say or think about a young baby’s needs and experiences in the fourth trimester? Leave a comment below!   For Dr. Harvey Karp’s Guide to Great Sleep interview, click here. For Dr. Karp’s Happiest Baby on the Block interview, click here.

It’s great for kids (and adults, for that matter) to be active and involved in vigorous sports. However, some activities put participants at particular risk for repeated concussions, with potentially life-long consequences. But information is power and this week’s Mom Enough show is packed with information about how to recognize and respond to concussions and, most important how to prevent concussions in your young athletes. Don’t miss this important discussion with Jon Roesler, Epidemiologist Supervisor with the Injury and Violence Prevention Unit at the Minnesota Department of Health.   What new things did you learn in the Mom Enough discussion about the causes and consequences of concussions? What steps will you take to prevent your children from suffering concussions, especially repeat concussions, which do great harm? Leave a comment below!   For a checklist of symptoms that may help your doctor in diagnosing a concussion, click here. For Minnesota Medicine’s "This is Your Brain on Sports" article, click here. For the MN Department of Health's Traumatic Brain and Spinal Cord Injury information, click here. For the Brain Injury Alliance of Minnesota, click here.

Many of us believe that bullying is more rampant today than in previous decades. But is that true? And how do technology and social media shape bullying behavior and its impact today? Most important, what should we be doing to support a deeper understanding of – and more effective response to – this complex problem? Marti & Erin explore these and other questions with Emily Bazelon, Senior Editor of Slate and frequent guest on Comedy Central’s The Colbert Report, who has written a fresh and thoughtful book on bullying, Sticks and Stones: Defeating the Culture of Bullying and Rediscovering the Power of Character and Empathy.   In this week’s Mom Enough show, Sticks and Stones author Emily Bazelon highlights the importance of building a peer culture that does not accept bullying behavior. What do you think you can do with your own children to promote this? What could you do to encourage your school or faith community or even your neighborhood to promote a non-bullying peer culture among children and teens? Leave a comment below!   For the PACER National Bullying Prevention Center, click here.

When writer Amy Fusselman, her husband and young children had an opportunity for a long visit with a friend in Japan, they discovered a whole new kind of “adventure playground” that opened their eyes to a new of thinking about children’s safety, learning, creativity and competence. Watching as children (and adults!) of all ages turned junk into treasures, explored and created to their hearts’ content and stretched the limits of their own abilities (even building fires!), Amy felt compelled to share what she learned, writing the acclaimed book, Savage Park: A Meditation on Play, Space and Risk for Americans Who Are Nervous, Distracted and Afraid to Die. Amy’s conversation with Marti & Erin may challenge you to land your helicopter and find new ways to encourage your children’s play and exploration!   How is the adventure playground Amy Fusselman describes different from the playgrounds where your children play? What is the role of the adults? How could you incorporate some of these opportunities for creative exploration into your child’s life even if there’s not an adventure playground where you live? Leave a comment below!   To read about Donald Winnicott, click here.

Being a mom can evoke the highest and lowest of emotions, sometimes all at once! Each year Minneapolis author and writing teacher Kate Hopper brings writers to Motherhood & Words at The Loft Literary Center to read from their latest works about their lives as mothers. Each year Mom Enough offers the recording of that event as a special gift to you.   Listen to fiction writer Kathryn Trueblood read her poignant and funny short story about a woman balancing her own health issues with parenting her rebellious teenage son; Kate Hopper read about a recent trip in which she grappled with gender roles and what it would mean for her daughters to be raised in the small Costa Rican village where she lived 20 years ago; and Kao Kalia Yang read a powerful new piece about losing her first son in a very late miscarriage, something she finally is able to write about now that she has a daughter and is looking forward to the birth of twin sons. Perhaps you’ll be prompted to write a story of your own! There's a little salty language in a couple of spots in this recording, so don't let your little ones listen. We didn't want to censor these terrific authors.   Which of the writers’ stories resonated with you in terms of your own experience as a mother? Why? What specific feelings or memories did these readings trigger for you? Leave a comment below!   For Kate's website, click here. For Kathryn's website, click here. For Kao's website, click here. For Motherhood & Words, click here.

Providing proper nourishment for our children is one of the basics of parenting, so when our children reject our healthful offerings we may panic. This week’s Mom Enough guest, speech clinician and author Jenny McGlothlin, talks with Marti & Erin about how to discern ordinary picky eating from a more serious feeding disorder. And drawing on STEPS, a feeding program she developed at the University of Texas in Dallas, she offers guidance for helping children work through feeding problems.   After the interview with Jenny, stay tuned for a Relationships that Nurture brief with Katie Adler from St. David’s Center talking about stuttering, an issue Marti confronted in her son’s early years.   What has been your experience with picky eating in your family? How have you and others handled picky eating? After hearing this Mom Enough discussion on picky eating, what would you do differently now? Leave a comment below!   For Helping Your Child with Extreme Picky Eating, click here. For the Stuttering in Preschool tip sheet, click here. For Speech-Language Therapy at St. David's Center, click here.

As parents, we all worry about threats to our children’s health and safety. And yet, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the leading threat to the lives of children under the age of 14 is the ordinary experience of riding in a car. So, what can we do to keep our children as safe as possible, whatever their ages? Heather Darby, passenger safety expert from the Minnesota Department of Public Safety, Office of Traffic Safety, joins Marti & Erin for an important update on laws and best practices (which usually go beyond the law), including the importance of distraction-free driving!   What are the ages of your children and what are best practices for ensuring that they are safe passengers, whether they are riding with you or others? Who else drives your children (e.g. grandparents, babysitters, friends) and how knowledgeable are they about best practices? (How about having them listen to this Mom Enough show from the Minnesota Department of Public Safety, Office of Traffic Safety?) Leave a comment below!   To locate a Minnesota car seat check near you, click here. For Buckle Up Kids, click here. For a Guide for Child Passenger Safety Seats and Seat Belts, click here.

This week’s Mom Enough guest is Robyn Schneider, whose twin sons were diagnosed at 21 months with autism spectrum disorder. As if the boys’ severe behavior problems and lack of communication skills weren’t challenge enough, Robyn’s husband had MS and, subsequently, Robyn was diagnosed with breast cancer. But through it all, running together became an oasis of peace and accomplishment for the family, as told in Silent Running, a new book Robyn wrote with Minnesota author Kate Hopper. Whatever challenge you face, this story of resilience will make you think in new ways about how to cope and thrive.   What purposes do you think running together – their silent running – has played in this family’s struggles? Have you had similar experiences during times of great challenge? Leave a comment below!   To watch the Silent Running book trailer, click here. To read more about Robyn's boys, click here.

Teaching reading is not only the school’s responsibility; we parents play a huge role in nurturing our children’s love of reading and promoting their skills. And this doesn’t mean drill and drudgery! Laura Hanson, a reading specialist in the Edina Public Schools, brings a wealth of easy, fun, effective ways to choose and use books to ignite a child’s love of reading and learning. She challenges us to keep reading aloud with our children long after the preschool years and even suggests word games for drive time that will build skills and enliven a trip.   What have you found to be effective ways to support your children’s skills and interest in reading? What new ideas or insights did you get from this week’s Mom Enough discussion or from the written resources guest Laura Hanson provided? Leave a comment below!   For Laura’s handout on Choosing Books for Children, click here. For Laura’s Book Lists for Read-Alouds and Independent Reading, click here. For the How to Read Out Loud with Your Baby or Toddler video by ScholasticParents, click here. For the How to Read Out Loud with Your Preschooler video by ScholasticParents, click here. For the How to Read Out Loud to Your Gradeschooler video by ScholasticParents, click here. For the How to Read Out Loud to Your Pre-Teen video by ScholasticParents, click here. For a transcript of this show, provided by the Minnesota Department of Education, click here.

We’ve heard so much about the increase in Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) in recent years, but how do you know if your child should be evaluated? And if your child is identified as having an ASD, what kinds of services are likely to help your child learn and develop as well as possible? For decades, St. David’s Center for Child & Family Development has provided multi-disciplinary early intervention services for young children with Autism Spectrum Disorders and other special needs. This week occupational therapist Jasmine McGiffert joins Marti & Erin to discuss this important issue faced by so many families and children – a fitting recognition of April as both Autism Awareness Month and Occupational Therapy Month.   What did you learn in this Mom Enough discussion about possible red flags of Autism Spectrum Disorders? Why are play and physical activity so important to helping young children with Autism Spectrum Disorders? Leave a comment below!   To learn more about St. David's Center's Autism Day Treatment Program, click here.